[quote=Bostonian]
Another problem is that some highschools might allow a younger student to enroll in a highschool class but not offer highschool credit. But then they will not allow a child to repeat a class previously taken. So if the student takes, for example, Algebra, Algebra II and Geometry prior to highscool enrollment, he or she would still be required to earn 4 math credits for graduation during highschool. If the school only offers up to Calculus, the student will run out of math courses to take to graduate. This can be a problem for children that subject accelerate far in advance of their base grade.
(not saying not to do it, just to educate yourself about all the possible ramifications)
I think how the schools handle this topic varies very much by state and district.
Currently the 6th graders taking Algebra 1 in our district will not get credit for the class, nor a grade. It is viewed as an "experiment" and the administration did not want these children to possibly be penalized if it turned out that they were too immature to handle the classwork.
Any "high school" (e.g. Algebra, Geometry...) math classes taken in 7th or 8th grade will count on that child's high school transcript.
I'd be
very sure that this wouldn't (later) run afoul of the state's requirements for high school graduation, however--
in our state, for example, there are speicific course requirements in math, in science, and in social studies which must be present in order to earn a high school diploma in the state. One of them is "geometry." So if a student takes the course as a 6th or 7th grader, without earning high school credit, it's important to find out what that would mean later on in high school in terms of the impact on graduation.
Physical science and biology are both graduation requirements, too.
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ETA: I finally figured out what I had
meant to add before.
Don't rely on school officials to necessarily KNOW off-hand what the ramifications would be. Check for the information yourself on your state Dept. of Education website and/or with the local high school guidance counselor. But recognize that you are taking a gamble here, because if you
do not have your child take the course for credit toward HS graduation, there's no guarantee that the CURRENT standard will be the one that applies to your child once s/he is actually a high school student. I know that often requirements are "phased in" and that students can finish their diplomas on the requirements that existed when they started high school... but the waters become a lot murkier when you're talking about a student who is several years from even entering high school. In other words, you can't necessarily predict what the powers-that-be
will say... four years from now.
Our own state education bureaucracy is kind of notorious for making graduation requirements a moving target. That's why I mention this stuff.
.